New Study Shows E15 Reduces Emissions

Cindy Zimmerman

The University of California, Riverside has just released a peer-reviewed study that shows E15 ethanol blends provide notable emissions reductions compared to California’s regular reformulated gasoline.

According to the study, emissions of total hydrocarbons, non-methane hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide all showed either marginally or statistically significant reductions for E15 compared to regular California gasoline. In addition, particulate matter (PM) and solid particle number emissions dropped substantially with E15, and E15 showed lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions savings when compared to E10. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions when using E15 showed marginal reductions in many cases, but the changes in NOx were not statistically significant.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper says the report is proof of the value of E15 for The Golden State, which is one of only two states yet to allow the E15 blend to be used. “This new study shows what we’ve been arguing all along—that E15 offers emissions benefits that would help meet environmental goals in California, where the state’s 27 million drivers log more than 340 billion miles a year on the road,” RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper said. “We continue to call on California’s regulators to move quickly to permit E15 to be sold in the state, a blend that also offers cost savings in a place where gasoline prices are higher than anywhere else in the country.”

Montana is the other state that has not yet approved E15. The research will appear in the October 2023 journal Fuel, and was supported by RFA, the California Air Resources Board and other organizations.

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Absolute Energy Partners With Summit Carbon Solutions

Cindy Zimmerman

Absolute Energy in Saint Ansgar, Iowa is the latest ethanol plant to partner with Summit Carbon Solutions in its carbon capture and storage project.

Absolute Energy, which commenced operations in 2008 and produces approximately 130 million gallons per year of ethanol, joins a growing network of ethanol plants as partners in the project, which upon completion will sequester up to 18 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. The project, extending through Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota, significantly reduces the carbon footprint of participating ethanol plants and opens new market opportunities.

“It fills us with a sense of purpose and satisfaction to team up with Summit on this critical mission of carbon capture and storage,” said Rick Schwarck, CEO of Absolute Energy. “The strategic placement of our Absolute Energy facility in Saint Ansgar, Iowa, coupled with our earnest endeavor to curtail greenhouse gas emissions, finds a parallel mission with Summit Carbon Solutions. We eagerly anticipate joining forces with Summit to meet our environmental sustainability goals.”

Summit’s partnership with Absolute Energy will result in the removal and permanent storage of 370,000 metric tons of CO2 per year and builds on recent momentum, including a new partnership with NuGen Energy, a South Dakota producer, and having successfully acquired 70 percent of its pipeline route through voluntary easements with nearly 2,500 landowners. These achievements underline Summit’s strong community support and shared vision for sustainable agriculture and energy production.

Carbon, carbon capture, Ethanol, Ethanol News

U.S. Exports of Ethanol and DDGS Down in April

Cindy Zimmerman

After big gains in the first quarter of 2023, U.S. ethanol exports slowed in April, dropping five percent to 125.7 million gallons (mg), despite a 95% increase in undenatured ethanol shipments, according to the latest Renewable Fuels Association Trade Monitor update. Exports of both U.S. ethanol and the co-product dried distillers grains (DDGS) are lower than a year ago at this time.

Canada was our largest destination for the 25th consecutive month with 46.9 mg crossing the border (17% lower than March), including two-thirds of all April U.S. denatured exports. Other major global customers included the European Union (16.5 mg, +26%)—primarily shipped to the Netherlands—India (13.2 mg, -42%), South Korea (10.8 mg, +108%), the United Kingdom (10.4 mg, +20%), and Mexico (7.0 mg, +19%). Brazil again remained absent from the market with a 16% tariff on U.S. ethanol in place. Year-to-date U.S. ethanol exports total 479.8 mg, lagging 17% behind last year at this time and marking the smallest January-April exports in seven years.

RFA reports that April U.S. exports DDGS declined 13% to 777,617 metric tons.

Mexico remained our top customer for the tenth consecutive month despite a 25% cut from March volumes, with imports totaling 157,339 mt. Mexico, South Korea (111,573, -13%), Indonesia (73,341 mt, +7%), and Vietnam (65,258 mt, +23%) together captured roughly half of our global market in April. Japan (41,984 mt, +14%), the European Union (41,832 mt, +45%)—with the entirety bound for Ireland—Colombia (39,495 mt, a tick lower), Thailand (39,365 mt, +179%), Canada (36,008 mt, -26%), and Ecuador (30,847 mt, +44% to a record high) imported sizeable volumes as well. Year-to-date DDGS exports total 3.21 million mt, coming in 13% below last year at this time and representing the smallest January-April exports in a decade.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Exports, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

RFA Welcomes Newest DC Hire and Summer Intern

Cindy Zimmerman

The Renewable Fuels Association Washington D.C. office recently welcomed a new full-time assistant and a summer intern to RFA’s government and public affairs team.


Paloma Dade joined the permanent staff on May 7 as the office’s full-time administrative assistant. Dade has developed a diverse range of experience and skills as an administrative professional through working for Clason Point Partners as its administrative support specialist, as well as the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences as an accreditation administrative assistant.


Ashley Viglione joined RFA in DC on June 5 as a summer intern. Viglione is a student at Denison University, where she is double majoring to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Environmental Studies, minoring in Sustainable Design.

“We are excited to have Paloma joining our staff, as we know her experience will be an asset to our DC team in helping us achieve the policy goals of our organization,” said Troy Bredenkamp, RFA Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs. “We are also thankful that Ashley will be joining our staff in Washington as a summer intern. Ashley will be assisting in policy-related events and activities, and we are certainly looking forward to her contributions during her time at RFA.”

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Adkins Energy Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Cindy Zimmerman

Adkins Energy celebrated its 20th anniversary this month with an open house over the weekend at the biorefinery in Lena, Illinois. Adkins was founded in August 2002 with an annual production capacity of 40 million gallons, which has now expanded to 60 million gallons

Representatives from the Renewable Fuels Association attended the celebration on Saturday. “We are thrilled to join Adkins Energy in celebrating this important milestone in the company’s history,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Adkins joined the RFA board in 2003, and the company has been a leader within our association and across the industry for the past two decades. Adkins is an important fixture in the northwest Illinois economy.”

Adkins was one of the first 20 plants nationwide to be certified in 2012 by EPA to produce E15. In 2013, the company broke ground on a co-located biodiesel facility and began production in 2014, and in 2015, a 14,000-square-foot maintenance facility was added to the campus.

During the COVID pandemic in 2020, Adkins partnered with Lena Brewing Company to produce ethanol-based, FDA-approved hand sanitizer and worked as part of a state-level initiative to help supply sanitizer to Chicago. Along the way, Adkins Energy has awarded 20 scholarships to college students and donated $340,000 to local schools and organizations.

“It’s a really exciting time to be in the renewable fuels industry,” said Adkins Energy General Manager Bill Howell, an RFA board member. “The energy sector, particularly renewable fuels, is at the front of a new birth. We’re talking about new aviation, zero-carbon-intensity type fuels, and my hope is that we’re a player in those. Growth is always a challenge no matter what, and even though it’s positive, it’s always difficult—along with the changes that come with it. Overall, I am eager to see the opportunities and changes the next 20 years bring to our plant!”

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

The Andersons, Inc. Successfully Installs Whitefox ICE®

Cindy Zimmerman

Whitefox Technologies recently announced that The Andersons, Inc. has successfully installed the Whitefox ICE® membrane dehydration system at its ethanol plant located in Denison, Iowa. This is Whitefox’s eleventh installation in the U.S., and its fourth installation in Iowa.

Bill Krueger, Chief Operating Officer and President of The Andersons Trade and Processing, states “We have been evaluating Whitefox technology for some time, and saw that the system aligned with our goals for upgrading the Denison plant which include lower steam use and energy cost per gallon. It also helps to drive our objective of reducing carbon intensity across our production facilities. I am excited that this project is now completed as it addresses several of our strategic priorities.”

The Whitefox ICE® system treats existing recycling streams to both free up and debottleneck distillation-dehydration capacity, enabling The Andersons and other producers to lower natural gas usage, cut carbon emissions, improve plant cooling, and increase potential production capacity depending on the system design. Whitefox ICE® is integrated into existing corn ethanol production plants with minimal disruption and a small footprint.

Ethanol, Ethanol News

ISA Launches Interactive B20 Club Webpage

Cindy Zimmerman

The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) recently launched an updated B20 Club webpage that features an interactive map of Illinois-based organizations that utilize 20% biodiesel and higher blends to fuel their fleets.

“The B20 Club of Illinois is proud to launch our updated website and recommit ourselves to our core mission of educating fleets and stakeholders on the immediate benefit of implementing lower-carbon and cleaner-burning fuels like B20. Doing so provides measurable benefits that provide a cleaner today and better tomorrow,” said Bailey Arnold, Director of Clean Air Initiatives at the American Lung Association and the Program Lead for the B20 Club.

The B20 Club is a partnership between the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program and the American Lung Association that recognizes a select group of organizations throughout Illinois with strong commitments to run their fleets on biodiesel blends of 20 percent or greater. Since 2014, B20 Club members have consumed more than 88.5 million gallons of B20 and higher biodiesel blends, contributing to cleaner air and more sustainable operations. In total, member fleets have provided an estimated $13.2 million in health benefits and reduced CO2 and equivalent emissions equal to planting more than 2.5 million trees.

Biodiesel, Soybean, Soybeans

Nebraska Governor Signs New Law to Boost E15 Sales

Cindy Zimmerman

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed new legislation this week that contains provisions to increase consumer access to E15 fuel in the state, boost higher blend ethanol tax credits, improve the NextGen program and cut red tape for food trucks.

During the signing event, Governor Pillen hosted a food truck from Norfolk at the Governor’s Residence to drive home the benefits contained in the new law. “This is a great day for agriculture in Nebraska,” said Gov. Pillen. “It gives drivers more choices as to what fuel they buy, improves a program to help new farmers and provides clarification for a growing industry that is catching fire across communities large and small – food trucks.”

Nebraska ranks second in the nation for ethanol production but comes in 45th for its ethanol blend rate. The bill will make it possible for more consumers to fill up with E15 at their local fuel retailers, while providing fuel retailers a boost in tax credit for each gallon of higher blended ethanol sold.

“Nine out of 10 fuel retailers in Nebraska will be able to offer E15 without expensive upgrades to their fuel infrastructure and dispensing system,” said Reid Wagner, Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) executive director. “The framework created through LB562 offers a pathway to increase access to higher blends while minimizing costs to fuel retailers and maximizing savings for consumers.”

Ethanol organizations thanked Gov. Pillen for signing the new law. “It’s safe to say this new law is a win for drivers, a win for agriculture and a win for all of Nebraska,” said Dawn Caldwell, executive director, Renewable Fuels Nebraska. “In addition, it gives Nebraska’s renewable fuel producers, our farmers, our workers, our engineers and our innovators the chance to keep doing what they do best – fueling our communities, our state and our country.”

“This new law will help Nebraska families save money on a fuel choice that is also good for their state’s economy and environment,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “The use of lower-cost E15 has been shown to provide emissions reductions as well as cost savings, and the use of more American-made ethanol supports thousands of jobs in Nebraska and across America’s heartland.”

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Chief Marketing Officer Ron Lamberty said, “This incentive should encourage marketers to look past all the misinformation about high equipment costs to sell E15 and find out most of their current equipment is already E15 compatible. We should see more Nebraska stations selling E15 in a short period of time, and when drivers try E15, they like it and keep using it.”

ACE, E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Reps Ask USTR to Address Brazil Ethanol Tariff

Cindy Zimmerman

More than 20 members of Congress, led by Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL), sent a letter this week to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai asking her to prioritize ethanol export competitiveness and address unfair import tariffs imposed on American ethanol by Brazil.

The letter highlighted the importance of biofuel and ethanol production for rural communities throughout the country and how recently announced import tariffs by Brazil on American ethanol would negatively impact American agriculture, which previously received duty-free treatment from Brazil.

In the letter, the Members wrote in part, “We believe the double layer issue of a tariff imbalance and an impenetrable RenovaBio is unjustified and puts American ethanol and farmers at risk. We strongly urge you to prioritize American ethanol export competitiveness in the Brazilian market by addressing these unfair policies. Further, if Brazil continues with its unfair treatment of American ethanol, we stand ready to work with you to consider measures that protect U.S. farmers and biofuels producers and counter these unfair trade practices.”

Bipartisan supporters from ethanol states including Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin signed the letter, but it was interestingly also signed by Rep. Mike Lawler, a freshman Republican from New York.

Brazil, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Trade

North American SAF Conference Planned for August

Cindy Zimmerman

BBI International and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) are presenting the first annual North American SAF Conference & Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center August 29-30, 2023.

“We’re really excited to participate in the execution of this inaugural event,” said Steve Csonka, CAAFI’s Executive Director. “CAAFI’s leadership team is pleased to augment BBI International’s intention to create an annual, world-class, SAF-focused conference and exposition, encompassing interests and activities from across North America. The timing is right to move SAF to such a dedicated, mainstream event.”

This year’s inaugural North American SAF Conference & Expo will provide two days of content for the sustainable aviation fuel industry. The program is set to mirror much of CAAFI’s focus, which is to encourage the development of alternative jet fuel options that promote environmental improvement and energy supply security for aviation.

Attendees of the event will gain a better understanding of opportunities to engage in commercial activities, by hearing about fuel certification and qualification, SAF research and development, environmental and economic metrics, and an inside look at the current SAF marketplace and where it may be heading in the future.

aviation biofuels, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, SAF